Construction Projects

Construction Projects

An inside look into current and finished projects. With your help we can build change.

Well

The first request Pierre-Louis made to the parishioners of Christ Our Light Parish was for help to dig a well. At the time, all water for the community was obtained by walking 90 minutes, round trip, to a nearby river. If there was to be a school, a closer water supply was going to be needed. The parishioners agreed to help dig a well. The first attempt, however, failed. The drill initially used was the wrong one to do the job. The second attempt was successful. The parishioners were so delighted by the benefit this new well brought, not just in the building of the school but to the whole community, it was motivated to move on to the second task at hand, the building of the school.

Solar Installation

Electricity is a rare commodity in Haiti, but St. Gabriel School now has electrical power after the installation of a solar power system in January 2013. General Electric donated six solar panels, and installation was completed by the Let’s Share the Sun Foundation of East Greenbush, NY. Their foundation's mission is to facilitate the use of solar energy in some of the poorest, most disadvantaged parts of the world: “places that are rich in their access to the sun but lack fundamental resources.” There is no municipal electricity in Fontaine, and many families cannot afford a diesel generator, making it difficult for students to study after dark. The school building is now open and lit for a few hours in the evening for students to study under the electric lights. Additonally, solar lanterns provided by Let’s Share the Sun allow students living farthest from Fontaine to study at night and to share this energy with their families. General Electric donated an additional 26 smaller solar panels. Their installation has greatly increased the electrical energy output available to both the St. Gabriel's school and the community.

Roof Renovation

Thank you for all donations to help renovate these houses in Fontaine. Your gifts not only helped us to reach our goal of repairing 30 homes but your generosity surpassed it by three. This means that three more homes will be repaired. The family whose home was chosen for this initial project has two students at St. Gabriel's, both in the 11th grade. Members of the community donated the wood and seven St. Gabriel's students, the father of the family and his work partner, began the project, which took a total of seven days. Twenty-five members of the community spent a day on the foundation and the walls. Three days were spent on the carpentry work, another three to attach the metal sheets to the roof and close to three weeks to gather all the materials needed.